New Future
by QueenTheirin24
Summary: One night, during a celebration, Snow notices that Cassandra seemed depressed, so she decides to find out what's wrong, which leads to discovery and launches her on another adventure! How far will she be willing to go to make her friend happy, and just how will it change things? Rated M for safety. Also, this story has Dawn of the Seeker references!
1. Cassandra's Lost Lover

Hey! I got _Dawn of the Seeker_ about a month and a half ago and immediately got hooked on it! I am a bit disappointed that Galyan is not in Inquisition (though, I know why), and there aren't nearly enough stories on here about him and Cassandra, so I decided to fix that! Anywho… please enjoy! Also, if any of you have not seen _Dawn of the Seeker_ , I highly recommend it; it is an _**awesome**_ movie!

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It all started one evening when everyone had gathered for a barbeque while there was a meteor shower and a lot of the couples in Skyhold had gathered out in the courtyard to watch it, including Snow and Cullen. Everyone was sitting around and waiting when someone suddenly called out that it was starting, and they all looked up to indeed see the meteors streaking across the dark blue sky. "Wow!" Snow gasped in amazement, and Cullen chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. During the shower, Snow looked around and couldn't help but smile at all the happy couples, which included Luna Hawke and Fenris, and King Alastair with his wife, Queen Amanda. She then noticed that she was not the only one watching all the couples; Cassandra was, too, but she didn't look happy at all, she looked depressed. Snow frowned and felt bad, wishing she could make her friend feel better.

The meteor shower lasted about 30-45 minutes and when it was over, people started leaving, and Cullen asked, "Do you still want me to go to your room with you?"

"You can go up there now; I'll be there soon." She said and started walking towards the tavern.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going to go talk to Cassandra real quick. Just go, I told you, I'll be there soon." She answered before walking the rest of the way to the tavern and going in to see Cassandra sitting at the bar with a mug. Snow walked over and sat down in the stool next to hers, "Hi."

"Hi." Cassandra greeted back.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

Snow just gave her a look that said she didn't believe her and replied, "Don't give me that. We're friends now, and friends tell each other when something's wrong."

Cassandra just sighed, but then told her. "It's just… seeing that almost everyone here has someone…"

"It makes you sad?"

"Jealous, actually," Cassandra said. "But I shouldn't be. It's foolish to wish for things that one cannot have."

"That's not foolish, Cassandra, and who said you can't have that? I'm sure you'll find the one for you some day."

"The sad thing is… I already have."

"Really?"

Cassandra nodded, "Years ago, back when I was just starting out as a true seeker."

"What's his name?"

"…Galyan, his name was Galyan."

Snow motioned to the bartender for a drink, and she was handed a shot of whiskey. "You should look him up." She said and downed the drink.

"That would be a waste of time."

"Why? Did you two part on bad terms or something?"

"No, no… it's nothing like that. He died… at the conclave…"

"Oh!" Snow said in understanding. "I see… did you love him?"

"If anyone else was asking me these questions, I'd throttle them, but… yes, I loved him, and still do. He was infuriating, but… also charming, brave, and handsome... I miss him dearly."

"I'm so sorry, Cassandra… I wish there was something I could do."

"Not unless you can go back in time and stop him from ever being at the conclave…" Cassandra said before drinking the rest of what was in the mug and standing up. "I'm going to head to bed. Good night."

"Night." She said and watched Cassandra leave before downing another shot of whiskey and leaving herself. She decided to not go right back to her quarters, even though she knew that Cullen was waiting for her, and instead went to go see Leliana, and when she got to her room, she noticed Leliana talking to Amanda.

"You should meet Nathaniel sometime; I think you'd like him." Amanda said, and then noticed Snow walking over. "Ah, you have company. I'll see you later."

"Alright, and tell Alastair that you two better show your faces here tomorrow before you leave or I'll have his ass on a plate!"

Amanda laughed. "I'll tell him! Good night, Leliana!"

"Good night, Amanda!"

"Good night, your majesty." Snow said.

"Inquisitor, you don't need to call me 'your majesty', just Amanda will do."

"And you don't need to call me 'Inquisitor', just Snow will do." She countered, and Amanda let out another laugh.

"Point taken, and good night to you as well, Snow."

After Amanda left, Snow turned her attention to Leliana and said, "Leliana, I need a favor."

"You don't beat around the bush, I see. What is it?"

"I need you to try and track down someone for me."

"You'll… have to be a bit more specific than that. Who is this person, and why is it so important that you find them?"

"All I really know about him is that his name was Galyan, and he and Cassandra were close."

"Oh, him!" Leliana said. "I met him briefly before the gathering at the conclave, and… he was there when the explosion happened, so…"

"He's dead, I know."

"So, why exactly are you asking me to look for someone who you know is dead?"

Snow sighed as she slumped into a chair. "I don't know. I just… I feel so bad for Cassandra."

"The last thing she'd want is your pity, Snow."

"I know, but she has it anyway! She's my friend, and it makes me upset that I can't help her. She's been through so much pain in her life… it hardly seems fair that she's alone; she deserves to be happy, too!"

"I understand. She's my friend, too, and I feel the same way you do, but there are some things you just can't change."

Snow sighed and things were quiet before she remembered what Cassandra said, _"Not unless you can go back in time and stop him from ever being at the conclave…"_ "That's it!" She suddenly cried, and Leliana jumped at being startled.

"What?! What's it?!"

"I know what I have to do!" Snow then ran down the stairs and when she got to the main hall, she ran into Cullen. "Oh, hi Cullen! I thought you were in my room."

"I was, but you were taking too long, so I decided to see what's keeping you."

"Right, sorry. I was just talking to Leliana, and now, I'm going down to the cells."

"Can't it wait until morning?"

"Well… I suppose so, but…" She looked at him and smiled, "Oh, what the hell?" She kissed him and he smiled at her before they headed back to her room for the night.

Meanwhile, in her room above the forge, Cassandra was lying on her bed and just staring up at the ceiling. She just couldn't stop thinking about all the happy couples at the keep, no matter how much as she wanted to not think about it. She looked down at the ring on her finger and sighed sadly; it was a simple silver band with a square cut emerald.

 _A few years ago, Cassandra had gone to the White Spire circle to see Galyan; since they both had important responsibilities, they were often separated for months at a time and rarely got to see one another. As she walked into the tower, all the templars and mages recognized her, so they simply let her do as she wished. She walked upstairs and into the enchanter's quarters, and it didn't take long for her to spot Galyan, who was sitting at a desk, reading a book, and she walked up behind him. "Galyan?"_

 _He turned and smiled, standing up, "Cassandra!" He pulled her into a hug and held her close. "I've missed you."_

 _"I've missed you, too!" Cassandra said, hugging him back._

 _He pulled back and took her hands into his, looking her in the eyes. "I'm glad you're here, because I have something to show you!" He said, barely containing his excitement._

 _"Oh? What is it?"_

 _"Come with me." He said and started leading her out of the room, and they went back downstairs and towards the basement; when they got to the basement door, Galyan looked back at Cassandra and said, "First… I want you to close your eyes."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"It's a surprise!" Cassandra gave him and skeptical look before closing her eyes, and he waved his hand in front of her face to make sure she wasn't peeking, then opened the door and led her through it._

 _"Can I open them now?"_

 _"No, no, not yet. Wait here." He walked back and closed the door before using his magic to light a lantern and arranging something around. "Alright… you can open them now."_

 _Cassandra slowly opened her eyes and what she saw made her gasp in amazement. What he had been arranging was a pile of crystals sitting on a table with the lantern behind them, and on the wall and ceiling were rainbow colored lights caused by the light from the lantern going through the crystals. "Wow!" She sighed, her eyes lighting up in pure awe. "Galyan, this is… it's beautiful!"_

 _He looked at her and smiled, "Yeah… beautiful." He said, referring to her rather than the lights. He cupped her chin and lifted her head up a bit before leaning in and kissing her on the lips, and she returned the gesture. "There's one other thing I wanted to show you." He walked back to the table and grabbed something, bringing it back and showing it to her; it was a beautiful emerald ring._

 _Cassandra looked shocked. "Galyan… you're not…?"_

 _"Huh?" He wondered, and then understood her reaction, which caused him to chuckle. "Don't worry, it's not an engagement ring, not that I'd mind getting engaged to you." He teased, and she just shook her head, but with a smile on her face. "I was just thinking the other day that since we don't see each other very often, you should have something to remind yourself of me."_

 _Cassandra just smiled and placed her hand against his cheek. "I don't need anything like that; I could never forget you."_

 _"I know, but what I mean is that I want you to feel that I am always with you, even when I'm not."_

 _"So, you're giving me a ring?"_

 _"This isn't just_ any _ring. My mother gave it to me before I came to the circle and told me that if I ever met the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, that I would give this to them. So, I'm giving this to you as a symbol of my love and devotion to you, if you'll have it."_

 _Cassandra just stood there and looked at him in shock, but then smiled and took the ring, slipping it on her right ring finger, "Yes, I'll have it." She kissed him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back._

Cassandra felt a tear fall down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. "There's no use in crying over the past…" She told herself.

The next morning with Snow, she got up and got dressed almost immediately and Cullen woke up also. "Where are you going so early?"

"Nowhere, just… going to get some breakfast."

"Uh-huh…" Cullen said, clearly not believing her. "What are you really up to, Snow? You've been acting dodgy since last night."

"I'm not up to anything!" She tried to insist, and when he just raised an eyebrow at her, she added, "You are so paranoid." She walked out and headed downstairs and to the cells. She told the guard she wanted to speak to Alexius alone, and when she left, Snow went over to his cell and saw him already awake.

"What do you want, Inquisitor?" He asked, not even looking at her.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Haven't I done enough?"

"No. The only reason I didn't execute you is because Dorian wanted me to show you mercy, so having you research magic for the inquisition is only the start."

"Fine… what is it?"

"I need you to send me back in time, just like how you sent me into the future in Redcliffe."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have the amulet I used before, remember? Dorian has it."

"Okay, so if I get the amulet for you, will you do it?"

"That all depends…" He stood up and walked to the bars. "Why do you want to go into the past?"

"It's for Cassandra, so I can bring someone back that will make her happy."

"Why can't you bring this someone here now?"

"Because he's dead… I need to go back so I can save his life."

Alexius thought it all through before he replied with, "Alright. Get me that amulet, and I'll do it."

"Good." Snow said and turned on her heel to leave, but when she got to the door, she jumped back in surprise.

"Not up to anything, huh?" Cullen asked.

Snow just sighed and came clean, "Alright, you got me. I need to go back in time and save Galyan so he and Cassandra can be together."

"And just how are you planning on stopping his death?"

"One step at a time! First, I need to get that amulet from Dorian." Snow said and walked passed him and headed to the library where, sure enough, Dorian was. "Dorian!" She called as she ran over.

"Hey Snow," He greeted. "Need something?"

"I need that amulet you took from Alexius."

Dorian opened a small box on the table and showed her the amulet, "This?"

"Yes, give it to me."

"Why?" He asked, skeptically.

"It doesn't matter, just-"

"I'll tell you why!" Cullen cut her off. "She wants to give it back to Alexius so he can use it to send her into the past!"

"What?!" Dorian cried, and then hid the amulet behind his back. "Oh no! You can't do that! Just going into the future could have had dramatic consequences; I cannot allow you to travel through time again!"

"Dorian," She growled, walking towards him. "Give me that amulet!"

"No!"

"I wasn't asking your permission!" Snow whacked him over the head, and when he lifted his hands up to his head, she grabbed the hand that was holding the amulet and snatched it. "Thank you!" She walked back down the stairs.

"Hey!" He cried, and he and Cullen followed her. "Snow, please, don't go crazy on us now! This is insane and reckless!" He stood right in front of her, preventing her from taking another step. "You worked so hard to stop Corypheus from destroying the world, and now, you're willing to risk destroying it yourself?! Why?!"

"Because Cassandra deserves to be happy!" She simply said before walking around him.

"Look, Snow, I know you care about your friends, but you can't go around tearing the timeline to shreds to make them happy! There are some things in life that you just can't change!"

"You know, I used to believe that, Dorian, but if there's one thing that my adventures have taught me, it's that anything can change!" The three of them went into the courtyard, and Dorian just kept saying how insane she was being, so Snow growled and grabbed the back of his robe, dragging him over to where Cassandra was. She then forced him to look at her, and he saw her sitting there by the training dummies, looking ready to cry as she hugged her legs to her chest, still looking at her ring.

Dorian frowned and sighed before he got a determined look on his face. "So… let's go get this Galyan, then!"

"Wait a minute! Now you're coming?"

"Travelling through time, changing history, emerging victorious!" He chuckled and said, "It'll be just like old times!"

Cullen sighed and said, "Then… I'll come, too! I don't want you to go into danger without me anymore!"

"Alright! Let's go give this to Alexius, then!" Snow said. The three of them headed down to the cells, and once there, went to Alexius'. "I have the amulet. Now, send us into the past like you promised!"

"Us? You two are going as well?"

"Yes, I figured Snow needed a bodyguard!" Dorian said.

"Hm… very well." Alexius said, and Snow handed him the amulet. He used his magic to power up the amulet and it opened a portal that sucked all three of them through before it closed.

The next thing any of them knew, they fell into a pile of snow. Dorian was the first to sit up and look around, "Alright… where are we?"

"We're outside Haven!" Cullen answered, and pointed across the frozen lake to where the town was.

"Ah! Yes, I see!"

"Now, we just have to figure out when we are and how long we have until the conclave." Snow said, and when they nodded in agreement, they made their way towards Haven.

"Wait a minute!" Dorian suddenly cried.

"What? What is it?"

"I just realized something… how are we going to get back to our own time?"

"Um…" Snow hummed, realizing she hadn't even asked herself that question yet.

"Um?! I thought you thought this through!"

"I was just thinking we'd take it one step at a time! Besides, you once told me that it's okay _not_ to think everything through!"

"Maybe not everything, but _this_ is kind of important!"

"Relax!" Cullen said. "We'll figure out how to get back later! Right now, let's just follow Snow's plan and take it one step at a time!"

"Fine…" Dorian said, reluctantly. "Ah, one more thing…"

"What?"

"It is critical that neither of you run into your previous selves."

"Previous selves?" Cullen and Snow both asked, confused.

"Yes. I don't know what would happen if you accidently did run into yourselves, but let's _not_ test it and find out, shall we?"

"Good idea!" Snow agreed, and when they made it to the outskirts of Haven, they started looking around, but hid by the forge when they heard people coming.

"How long until the mage and templar leaders get here?" Divine Justinia asked Cassandra as they walked by.

"The latest reports say that they should be here in a week, Most Holy."

"A week…" Snow whispered. "Alright, that should be more than enough time."

"Good, with luck, we will find a way to end this foolish war." Justinia said, and Cassandra nodded. "By the way, that young man, Galyan, he was here looking for you."

"Is he still here?"

"I believe so."

"Well, this will be easy!" Snow said, and she, Cullen, and Dorian followed Cassandra, but made sure to stay out of her sight; they followed her to one of the buildings in town and they looked in through the window on the side of the house.

"Galyan!" Cassandra said, and he looked at her, and smiled.

"Cassandra!" He walked over and pulled her into an embrace, which she returned.

"That's Galyan?" Snow asked, surprised. "Cassandra had said he was handsome, but I never expected…" Cullen cleared his throat to remind her that he was right there, and she added, "Just saying."

"I've missed you." She kissed him and looked into his green eyes. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon, though."

"Well, I thought you'd miss me too much." He teased, and she let out a small laugh, having a gentle smile on her face.

"I did."

"See, I knew it. You can't get enough of me, can you?"

"Galyan, you are an idiot." Cassandra joked, and they both laughed. "I forgive you, though, because you're my idiot."

"And proud of it!" Galyan said, smiling happily, and took her hand and kissed it, right above her ring. "I'm happy that you accepted this. After all, this is – and always will be – a symbol of my love for you!"

"So, she got that ring from him." Dorian said.

"It appears so." Snow replied. "I've seen her wearing it, but I never asked her where she got it. The fact that she still wears it is enough to prove that she still loves him, which is good, considering we came to bring him back with us."

"Wait, what? Bringing him back with us? I thought we were just going to stop him from being at the conclave."

"No, because what if something happens to him between then and the present? He could still be dead when we get back to our time. So, the only explanation is to bring him back with us."

"And just how are we going to get him to come back with us, especially since we don't even know how we're going to get back yet?" Snow and Cullen both gave him a look, and he sighed, "Right… one step at a time."

"Cassandra…" Galyan sighed and pulled her into a kiss, then placed his forehead against hers, "You truly are beautiful, you know that?"

"No, I do not know that."

"Yes, you do. You're perfect, and I am truly the luckiest man in all of Thedas to have you!"

"Galyan, you don't have to-" She was cut off when he kissed her again.

"I'll prove it to you!" He picked her up in his arms with one swoop and laid her down on the bed and then got on himself.

He began kissing her neck and trailing his hands down her body, and she said, "I don't see how making love to me is supposed to prove to me that I'm perfect?"

"I don't make love to just anyone, you know." He teased, "I accept nothing less than perfection!" Cassandra just blushed and looked at the wall, and Galyan chuckled, leaned back down and started kissing her neck again. "I love you, Cassandra, no matter what you think of yourself."

"…I love you, too, Galyan." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Are they really going to…?" Cullen asked.

Dorian and Snow watched as Galyan started working on getting Cassandra's breastplate off, and she was unbuttoning his shirt. "It seems they are." Dorian replied.

"Then we should leave; we shouldn't be watching this." He started walking away, but then looked back and saw the two of them still looking in through the window. "Let's go."

"But Cullen…" Snow whined.

"It's just getting interesting!" Dorian added.

"Come on!" Cullen growled, grabbing them both by the backs of their shirts and dragging them away.

Inside the room, Cassandra asked, "Did you hear something?"

"No, why? What do you think you heard?"

"It sounded like someone outside." Cassandra looked back and him and smiled, "You know what? It's not important." She flipped them over and he smiled.

"Still prefer the top, do you?" Galyan teased and laughed. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself!"

"Oh, just kiss me, you fool!" Cassandra said, and Galyan just laughed again before doing just that.

Back outside, Cullen wasn't watching where he was going and so he literally ran into someone. "Oh, sorry."

"Commander? How did you get here so fast?" The scout asked. "I just saw you by the training area."

"Uh… well, I…"

"Never mind. I'll just go check with Seeker Pentaghast before I forget."

"What? No, you can't go in there!" Snow said, stepping in front of the door.

"Huh? Who are you?"

 _'Right, no one here has met me yet.'_ Snow reminded herself and quickly said, "I'm… Mary."

"Okay, Mary… why can't I go in there? The commander gave me orders to check in with Seeker Pentaghast, right, Commander?"

"Yes, I did," Cullen said, remembering when he had done that. "But I've already checked with her, so you don't have to anymore."

"But you just told me a minute ago that-"

"And now, I'm telling you that there's no need anymore, so you can go about your normal business."

The scout scratched the back of her head, confused, "But… alright then." She then turned on her heel and walked away.

"Mary?" Dorian asked Snow.

She shrugged and replied, "It's my sister's name."

A bit later, back with Galyan and Cassandra, they were lying on the bed and just enjoying the afterglow when Galyan looked at her and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too." Cassandra said and kissed him again before lying her head on his chest and let out a contented sigh as he wrapped his arms around her and held her there. They were both silent before she suddenly let out a chuckle, and Galyan smiled down at her.

"What? What's so funny?"

"This." She answered, and he looked confused, so she elaborated, "Who would've guessed that we'd become this close when we first met."

"Oh!" He said in understanding and chuckled himself. "I know, I mean you tried kill me when we first met."

"I thought you were a blood mage."

"And yet, you kept swinging your sword around at me even after you knew that I was a circle mage and even told me that you'd cut me down if I was of no use to you."

"Alright, I get it; I was a bitch."

"I didn't say that." He said, worried that he'd hurt her feelings, but when she smiled at him, he smiled back and kissed her forehead. "What I mean is, we have come a long way since then."

That evening, around sundown, Snow, Cullen, and Dorian were talking when they spotted Cassandra and Galyan walking by and they nodded at each other before following them. As they walked, Cassandra and Galyan were holding hands and seemed contented to just walk in silence, enjoying the other's company. Suddenly, Cassandra's stomach growled, and Galyan chuckled, "Hungry?"

"Yes. I haven't eaten since this morning." She said, sheepishly.

"Well, that's no good. We should get something to eat, then. Besides, after that amazing session, I'm a bit low of electrolytes myself." He replied with a wink.

"You fool!" She wasn't able to hide her blush, and he laughed.

"It was that good?" Dorian whispered and glared at Cullen. "Thanks a lot for making us stop watching it!"

"It wouldn't have been right to watch it! Besides, do you really want Cassandra kicking your ass if she ever found out?"

"Yes, because even if her ass-kicking hurts, I would still have had dirt on her for the rest of her life!"

"Snow? What do you think?"

"I just wanted to see Galyan naked." She said, and Cullen looked rather appalled before growling and storming off. "I was joking!" She called after him, and then sighed.

"Forget your green-eyed boyfriend for now, Snow." Dorian said, "Let's continue trailing Cassandra and Galyan, hm?"

"Yeah." The two of them followed Cassandra and Galyan to the tavern and sat down at a table far enough away to not look like they were watching them, but close enough that they could hear their conversation.

"So, do you have plans for after the conclave?" Galyan asked.

"What I do afterwards all depends on how the whole thing goes. …Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering, well… more like hoping that… you would consider coming with me afterwards."

"Go with you?"

"Yes. We could run away together, Cassandra, maybe settle down and start a family!"

Cassandra gave him a small smile and placed her hand on top of his gently. "Galyan… as much as I would love that… I just don't think it's going to happen. Even though the circles have dissolved, and I've left the seekers, we still have responsibilities, and we can't-"

"That's all you think about it, isn't it?!" Galyan suddenly snapped, surprising Cassandra, as well as Snow and Dorian. "Responsibility this, and responsibility that! Do you ever stop to think about what you _want_ , and not just what you need to do?!"

"Of course I do, but as a seeker, I learned that duty always comes first; you can't put your personal wants ahead of what needs to be done."

"Then what about me? Have you ever asked me what I wanted? I mean, dammit, Cassandra, we've been together for more than 10 years, and yet you still put everything else ahead of our relationship!"

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it? Tell me honestly, when was the last time you asked yourself, "Where is our relationship headed"? You expect me to just be okay with us only seeing each other every once in a while, but I'm not! I'm a man, Cassandra, I have needs!" He said, and before she could say anything he added, "And I'm not talking about sex, I'm talking about actually spending time together, being able to just sit and talk and enjoy each other's company."

"Galyan… are you breaking up with me?"

"No, not yet."

"Not yet? So, you're going to?"

"I don't want to. Maker knows I don't want to, but if our relationship stays the way it is… I just don't think I can be with someone every once in a while; it needs to always, or… not at all. I'm sorry for putting this on you, Cassandra, but I have to."

"I don't want to lose you, Galyan… I love you."

"I love you, too, and I don't want to lose you, either."

Cassandra thought for a moment before speaking up again. "I understand why you feel this way, and to be honest, I feel the same way. I just always consoled myself by saying that I was doing what I had to, for both of us… but you're right; we can't go on like this anymore." She took both his hands and smiled. "After the conclave is over and things are resolved, I'm leaving with you! I don't care what Divine Justinia will say, I don't care what anyone will say; I am not going to let you leave without me!"

Galyan's face suddenly broke out in a large grin. "Cassandra…" He sighed happily. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that!" He leaned over the table and kissed her passionately, and she returned the gesture eagerly, not caring if the whole tavern was staring at them.

Snow watched this and sighed, holding her hands over her heart with a dreamy look on her face. "It just melts your heart, doesn't it?"

"I suppose, if straight couples are your thing."

After Cassandra and Galyan ate, they left the tavern and headed outside Haven, to the edge of the lake and sat down on the end of the dock. "It's a beautiful night." Cassandra said, and laid her head against Galyan's shoulder.

"It is." He agreed.

There was silence between them before she said, "…I'm glad the mages and templars agreed to come to the conclave; I was so worried that this stupid war would claim your life." Tears formed in Cassandra's eyes at the thought of losing him, showing her weakness, as she so rarely did, but with him, she had learned how to lower her walls.

"Hey, don't talk like that. Nothing is going to happen to me, and nothing is going to happen to you, either. We have been through hell and high water together, and nothing will ever separate us again."

"You sound so sure."

"I'm not, but it's all I know. If we believe in each other and in our love, we can overcome anything; we've proven it before, and we can prove it again!"

Cassandra smiled and kissed his cheek before hugging his arm and placing her head back on his shoulder. "You make me believe, Galyan. Thank you."

Galyan smiled and kissed her forehead, then looked back up at the stars with her. After a few minutes of silence, and when a cold breath of wind swept by them, Galyan spoke up. "It's getting cold." He said and looked down when Cassandra didn't say anything, and he found her asleep; he smiled warmly and carefully picked her up as not to wake her, and brought her back into town. He brought her back to the same house they'd been in before and laid her down on the bed. "Good night, Cassandra." He whispered and kissed her on the lips gently before getting up and leaving to let her sleep. Once he was outside, Snow and Dorian took this chance to finally talk to him.

"Hello." Snow greeted.

"Oh, hello." Galyan greeted back. "Who are you?"

"My name is Snow, Snow Trevelyan, and this is my friend, Dorian Pavus." She said, and Dorian bowed when she said his name.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Regalyan D'Marcall."

"Regalyan? I thought your name was just Galyan."

"That's what everyone calls me, yes, but Regalyan is my full first name. Wait… how did you know people call me Galyan?"

"Well…" Snow took a deep breath and said, "This is going to sound completely crazy, but we're from the future, and your life is in danger."

Galyan just stared at her before laughing. "That's a good one!"

"I'm serious! The conclave is going to be a disaster!"

"It's true!" Dorian added, "An ancient Tevinter magisiter is going to cause a huge explosion during the conclave, and Snow here is going to be the only one to survive; everyone else, including you, is going to die!"

"If you two are really from the future and you know this disaster is supposed to happen, why not stop it from happening at all, instead of just warning me?"

"Because… as awful as it is… that event _needs_ to happen! We can't change the past dramatically; we're endangering the fabric of the world even just telling you about it." Dorian answered. "I know we must sound like a couple of raving lunatics to you, but we're telling the truth!"

"Alright… if you two are really from the future, then tell me something… what happens to Cassandra?"

"Oh, she's alive. In fact, the whole reason I came here is because back in our time, Cassandra was missing you terribly, so I came to bring you back with us so you two can be together. Isn't that what you want, to be with Cassandra?"

"More than anything, but tell me… why do _you_ want Cassandra and me together?"

"Because she'd be happy being with you again, and she's my friend; I will do anything for my friends!"

"Believe it!" Dorian said. "Snow's come this far!"

"Then… perhaps you will be willing to go a little farther?" Galyan asked.

"Uh oh… I don't like the sound of that."

"Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous. If you two truly are telling the truth about this disaster at the conclave, then there's someone else who needs to be saved!"

"No, no one else!" Dorian cried. "Look, Galyan… we're already putting the whole world in danger by simply being here and telling you all this; it's even more dangerous for us to be bringing you back. If we even _tell_ anyone else about all this, something terrible will be bound to happen!"

"Please, just hear me out! You see, there's this girl, Avexis… she's going to be at the conclave as well and I can't just let her die!"

"Someone else you love?" Dorian asked.

"You mean, romantically? Sweet Maker, no!" He cried, looking a rather disgusted at the thought. "Cassandra is the only woman I love; Avexis is our adopted daughter!"

"You two have an adopted daughter?" Snow asked. "She never told me that."

"Well, she's not legally ours. I mean, we never signed papers or anything, but she's always seen us as her parents, and we've always seen her as our daughter, so we just became an illegitimate family. So, you can see why I'd want her to be saved as well, please!" He pleaded.

Snow looked at Dorian and gave him a pleading look as well, but he just said, "No!"

"But Dorian-"

"Excuse us." Dorian said and dragged Snow a few feet away. "Snow, we can't! I didn't even want to come here to save him!"

"Yet, you did!"

"Yes… against my better judgement, I did, but saving him is as far as I will go!"

"Snow… Dorian… please!" Galyan pleaded again. "Besides Cassandra, Avexis is the only family I have left! What am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait for news that she's been killed, or try to stop her death? If this was your daughter, what would you do?"

"Look… I'm sorry, I really am, but just going out of our way to save you is as far as I will go, and I will not be swayed on that."

Galyan sighed. "…I understand."

A bit later, Galyan went back to the house and went in to see Cassandra still fast asleep, lying on her stomach with her head lying on her arms. He walked to the end of the bed and sat down, running his fingers through her short, jet black hair. _'What am I going to tell her? Cassandra, I know of a way to prevent my death, but Avexis is still going to die? I can't tell her that! I know she loves Avexis as much as I do!'_ He thought.

 _One afternoon a few years ago, Galyan was on the bottom floor of the circle tower waiting for Cassandra when someone came up behind him and threw their arms around his shoulders, "Hi!"_

 _Galyan chuckled and placed his hand on top of her arm. "Hi Avexis!"_

 _"What are you doing? Waiting for mama?"_

 _"Yes. She should be here soon."_

 _Then, as if on cue, Cassandra walked into the tower and almost immediately spotted them. "Galyan, Avexis," She said happily and walked over. "It's so good to see you two!"_

 _"It's great to see you, too, mama!" Avexis said, and Cassandra chuckled._

 _A bit later, the three of them were outside the tower, in the gardens, when one of the apprentices walked by, and recognized Cassandra. He gasped and said, "You…You're the Hero of Orlais, aren't you?"_

 _"Well… yes, but I-"_

 _"That's her!" Avexis said, proudly. "My mama, the hero of Orlais and the right hand of the Divine herself!"_

 _"Your… mama?" The man asked. "How can she be your mother?"_

 _"She and Galyan adopted me when I was a kid."_

 _"Oh, so she's not your real mother."_

 _"Just because she's not my_ birth _mother, doesn't mean she's not my_ real _mother. These two are the only parents I've ever known, and I love them as if they were my real parents."_

 _"And we love you as if you're our real daughter, Avexis!" Cassandra said with a soft smile, and Avexis hugged her._

Galyan sighed and thought, _'No, I'm not going to save my own skin if it means Avexis is going to die! We'll either both survive or both die!'_ He looked down and kissed Cassandra's forehead. "Wish me luck, my love." He whispered and left, but not without leaving a note.

The next morning, Snow, Dorian, and Cullen got woken up by a small commotion going on outside town, so they made their way there to see what it was.

"Cassandra, calm down." Leliana said, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Now, what's going on?"

"Galyan is gone, that's what's going on! He left a note saying that he was going to save Avexis or die trying!"

"That's it?"

"Yes, that's it! It doesn't say where he went or what danger Avexis is even in! I just don't understand, why he would just run away like this, especially after making such a big deal about us not being together often enough!"

"I don't know… there must be an explanation."

"Well, I'm going after him and finding out what that is!" Cassandra said as she started saddling up her horse.

"But you just said he didn't say where he went!"

"He didn't, but I'll find him and Avexis!"

"Cassandra! We need you here!"

"I'm sorry, but you can't stop me from doing this! Byron once told me that I need to look at the world through the eyes of my heart, not just the ones in my head, and this is what my heart is telling me I have to do!"

Leliana sighed. "Alright. Go, then. I'll cover for you as long as I possibly can."

"Thank you." Cassandra said before getting on her horse and riding off.

"Galyan's gone to save Avexis?!" Snow said and glared at Dorian. "Thanks a lot!"

"How in Andraste's name is this _my_ fault?!"

"You were the one who told Galyan that we couldn't afford to save both of them, so now, he's determined to save her on his own, which could still get them both killed!"

"Hey, this was all _your_ idea in the first place! None of this would be happening if you had just listened to me!"

"Knock it off, both of you!" Cullen growled. "Look, all I know is, Cassandra just left chasing after Galyan and Avexis, and if something happens to her, we could be in _real_ trouble!"

"How do you mean?" Snow asked.

"Cassandra's the one who actually started the inquisition, remember? If something happens to her…"

"Oh, fuck me!" Dorian sighed, aggravated. "We better go and make sure she doesn't get herself killed, then!"

A few hours later, Cassandra finally caught up with Galyan on the road, and unknowingly being trailed by Snow, Cullen, and Dorian. "Galyan!" She cried as she got off her horse and ran over to him. "Galyan, you had me worried! Why did you run off like that?!"

"I need to find Avexis, and I didn't want to put you in danger, which is why I left without you; I was going to come back as soon as I'd found her."

"I know, but now, you don't have to; I'm coming with you."

"No, I don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger."

"What danger? How do you even know that Avexis is in danger?" When he didn't answer her, she said, "Tell me!"

"I don't want to involve you in this."

"That's exactly what Byron said to me after he took Avexis from her guard."

Galyan sighed. "…Alright, but just please promise me that you'll be careful."

"I promise," She said and went back, grabbing her horse's reins and leading it forward. "But I noticed you didn't answer my question. How do you know Avexis is in danger?"

"I can't say, but I can tell you that she's not in danger yet."

"Galyan, you're not making any sense."

"I know, but you just have to trust me on this."

"I trust you."

"Good." He replied, and they started walking again before he chuckled.

"What?"

"This, uh… kind of brings back old times, doesn't it? You and I travelling together, chasing after Avexis who's in danger?"

Cassandra laughed and replied, "Yes, but this time, she isn't being held by blood mages who want to twist her powers to control dragons and kill the Divine."

"True!" He said, and they both laughed.

"Blood mages?" Snow whispered.

"Twisting her powers to control dragons?" Cullen asked, just as confused.

"When we have more time, I'd really _love_ to hear that story!" Dorian said.

"You and me both!" Snow said before they followed them.

A few hours later, the three of them had lost track of Cassandra and Galyan and were stuck with trying to find them. Suddenly, they heard a loud roar, and they looked to see a bear slowly moving towards them, growling.

"Whoa! Um… easy there… we're not here to fight." Dorian said calmly and the bear's response was to roar again. "Well, that didn't work…"

"You think?!" Cullen growled.

Suddenly, a blonde haired elf came out of the bushes and stepped in between them and the bear. Her eyes turned from blue to red and the bear suddenly stopped and seemed to calm down; it then simply turned and walked back into the forest.

"Wow! That was incredible! How'd you do that?!" Snow asked, amazed, and the girl looked at them.

"I've always been able to control wild animals, call it a special talent."

"Well, thank you!"

"No problem, but if I may ask… what brings you three out here?"

"We're looking for our friends who seemed to have run off."

"Why would your friends run off?"

"They're looking for a girl named Avexis." Cullen asked, "Do you happen to know her?"

The girl giggled and said, "Know her? I _am_ Avexis!"

"You are?" Snow asked, amazed again. "Wow! The way Galyan talked about you, I expected to meet a little girl, but you're all grown up!"

"Galyan? You know my papa?!"

"Yes, he and Cassandra are who we're looking for."

"My mama's here too?! And they're looking for me?!" She asked and smiled. "I have to go find them!" She started to run when Snow stopped her.

"Wait, let us come with you!"

"Okay!" Avexis said, and the four of them left.

A couple more hours later, after the sun went down and was replaced with the night sky, they still hadn't found Cassandra or Galyan, but then, a bird suddenly came down and landed on a rock by them with what looked like a message attached to its leg. Avexis walked over and gently took the message off the bird and read it.

"What is it?" Snow asked.

"It's from papa! He must've sent the bird to come find me!"

"What's it say?"

"Avexis, your mama and I are in Redcliffe and we're waiting for you. Please come and find us here as fast as possible. –Love, your papa, Galyan."

"How could they have gotten to Redcliffe so quickly?" Dorian asked.

"If they rode Cassandra's horse, it is possible." Snow said, "Taking the horse would get them from Haven to Redcliffe in a matter of hours."

"That's true."

"Let's get to Redcliffe, then!" Avexis said, excitedly. "I haven't seen my mama and papa in over a year now!"

A few hours later, Avexis, Snow, Cullen, and Dorian arrived in Redcliffe and started asking people if they'd seen Galyan and Cassandra, and they were pointed to the Gull and Lantern. When they got there, they all walked inside, and it didn't take long for Avexis to spot them. "Mama, papa!" She cried and ran over to them.

"Avexis!" Galyan cried back and hugged her.

"I'm so glad you sent me that letter! I was so worried I would never see you two again!" Avexis confessed.

"Oh, there, there, Avexis…" Galyan said to comfort her. "We're both alright, and it's you we were worried about."

Cassandra walked over and placed her hand on Avexis's head. "We missed you."

Avexis smiled at Cassandra and replied, "I've missed you, too!" She gave her a hug and Cassandra returned the gesture.

Roughly an hour later, Avexis and Cassandra were asleep on one of the beds upstairs and Galyan watched as they slept, and smiled. _'I am truly a blessed man! I have the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with and our amazing daughter! Truly, what more could a man need!'_ He thought happily, and then, he heard someone whisper his name, and he looked to see Snow peeking into the room and motioned for him to come out when he looked at her before disappearing from sight; he walked to the doorway, looked back one more time, and walked out. "Oh, it's you two again."

"Surprised?" Dorian asked. "You didn't honestly think we'd just let you go and almost get yourself killed, did you?"

"I was going to go back."

"Going to? You mean, you're not going to anymore?" Snow asked.

"I have Cassandra, and I have Avexis, so why should I?"

"Because Cassandra needs to be in Haven during the conclave!" Cullen whispered. "She starts a new inquisition which puts the pieces of this world back together, so you can see how crucial she is to the timeline!"

"Besides, we came here to actually bring you back with us, not just to warn you about the conclave." Snow explained.

"Then you're bringing Avexis back, too!"

"We can't!" Dorian said. "I already explained this to you!"

"I know you did, but I'm not going unless she goes too!"

Dorian sighed heavily, knowing that he'd never win this battle. "…Fine, dammit! If you want to bring Avexis back, then… go ahead!"

"Thank you!" Galyan breathed a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how much this means to me!"

"I do have a condition."

"Name it."

"This is very important, and you absolutely cannot do it!"

"Okay…"

"Cassandra needs to think that you both die at the conclave, so when the day comes, you will have to make her think that you two are heading there."

"Why do we need to let her think we died?"

"Because if you tell her that you'll see her again in the future, that could affect what she does during the year or so that you're away, and that itself could affect history. I could go into great detail about how the timeline could be affected, if you want."

"No thanks." Galyan said. "I get the gist of it, and you are letting me take Avexis back with us, so I won't push you any further."

"Thank you."

––

Well, this is the first chapter, and I hope to have more up very soon! Nice reviews make me happy!


	2. Heading Home

The next morning, after Cassandra and Avexis were up, Galyan went to the room next to theirs where Snow, Dorian, and Cullen were. He knocked on the door five times in a pattern and waited until he heard two knocks completing it before walking off. The night before, Galyan had agreed to secretly wake them up that way since Cassandra couldn't see them; Snow woke up Dorian and Cullen, and they got ready to leave. Galyan walked back into the other room and asked, "Are you two ready to head to Haven?"

"Yes, although, I have to say, I've never been to Haven. What's it like?"

"It's just a small little village in the mountains." Cassandra answered. "The road that leads there, though, goes through the countryside, so you always have to keep an eye out for wild animals."

Avexis laughed and replied, "Are you forgetting about my special talent?"

"No, but it would still be wise to remain cautious."

"Got it!"

"Let's get going, then!" Galyan said, and the three of them left, with Snow, Dorian, and Cullen following behind them from a distance.

It took more than half the day for them to get back to Haven, but when they did, they noticed that there were considerably more people than there had been when they left.

"Cassandra," Leliana called as she ran over to her. "There you are! It seems you made it back in time, thank the Maker!"

"Back in time for what?"

"Well, as you can see, the mages and templars have gotten here earlier than expected, so Divine Justinia has moved the date of the conclave to tomorrow; I was worried that you would miss it."

"So soon?" Galyan asked, sadness lacing his tone.

"Yes." Leliana said before adding, "I apologize, I don't believe we've ever met."

"Right, you haven't." Cassandra said and introduced them. "Galyan, Avexis, this is Leliana, Divine Justinia's left hand. Leliana, this is Galyan, the love of my life," At hearing Cassandra refer to him as the love of her life, his face broke out in a proud, large grin. "And this is Avexis, our adopted daughter."

"Nice to meet you two." Leliana said.

"Likewise." Galyan replied.

"Well, I better get back to work, and Justinia wanted to see you, Cassandra; she's in the chantry."

"Okay." Cassandra said, and after Leliana left, she turned to Galyan and Avexis. "I should go see what Divine Justinia wants, but why don't you two meet me outside the chantry in about twenty minutes and we'll grab something to eat?"

"What do you say, Avexis?"

"I say, it sounds like a plan!" She said, and Galyan chuckled.

"Alright then! We'll meet you there!"

Cassandra nodded before walking off, and Avexis asked, "Papa, why did you sound so sad when Leliana said that they moved the date of the conclave to tomorrow? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Yes, I just couldn't you tell you this in front of Cassandra."

"Why not? What is it?"

"Avexis… the reason I came to find you is because I learned that the conclave is going to be a disaster and everyone who attends is going to die. I just had to find you so I could stop you from going."

"Where did you hear this?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Avexis folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Try me."

"I met a couple people who claimed to be from the future; they're the ones who told me."

"You mean Snow, Cullen, and Dorian?"

"You know them?"

"They came with me to Redcliffe to find you and mama, and they told me that they were from the future, too. They didn't tell me about this disaster, though."

"No, they wouldn't have, because before I talked to them last night, they didn't want to bring you back with them."

"Not to split hairs here, but Dorian was the _only_ one who didn't want to bring Avexis back." Snow said as she, Cullen, and Dorian walked over to them.

"How long have you three been there?" Galyan asked.

"The whole time; we were never more than twenty or thirty feet away from you, and we heard what Leliana said."

"So, what's the plan, then?"

"Tomorrow, you and Avexis will have to say goodbye to Cassandra, and make it sound like you are planning on seeing her again after the conclave is over. Also, make her think you're heading there, but then sneak away and meet up with us and we'll head back to our time… simple, really." Snow said.

"Alright, but how are we going to get back to your time?" Avexis asked, and Snow gave a sheepish smile before Dorian answered her.

"Snow hasn't exactly thought that far ahead yet."

"Wait, you came all the way here to save me and you don't even know how to get us back?"

"I know, it wasn't the brightest plan, but all I could think about at the time was how depressed Cassandra was."

"Just how upset was she?"

"'Looked ready to cry' upset, and as I'm sure you know, she does not show emotion lightly."

"She missed me that much?" Galyan asked, genuinely surprised.

"Of course she did!"

"She loves you, papa, you should know that!" Avexis said in an almost scolding manner.

"I do, but I didn't think she'd miss me _that_ much. Do we really have to not tell her that we'll see her again?"

"Don't! Don't even try!" Dorian growled.

"It was a rhetorical question." Galyan said and sighed, "I just wish we didn't have to leave so soon… then, we'll have to wait a whole another year or so before we can see her again."

"For you, it'll only take a minute." Dorian said. "Remember, we won't actually be here for that whole year."

"I don't understand."

"Okay, let me try to explain." Dorian picked up a stick and started drawing a line in the snow, "Pretend that this line represents the flow of time." He then drew another line vertically, intersecting the horizontal line. "This is tomorrow, the day of the conclave," He drew another vertical line further up. "And this is the time when we left, and the time we're bringing you two back to. Now," He drew an arch connecting the two vertical lines. "We are going from point A to point B in an instant, skipping over the year or so between the two points; while Cassandra, who is staying here, is going to… in a sense, re-live that year."

"I see!" Avexis said, "So, what happens when we get to the future?"

"We go and see Cassandra. What happens after… is really anyone's guess."

"So, basically what you're saying is that for us, it'll only feel as if a minute or so has passed?"

"Less than that, even."

"Sounds good!" Galyan said, happily. "Now, I suddenly can't wait! Come on, Avexis, we should go to the chantry and start waiting for Cassandra." She nodded, and they both left.

"So… how _are_ we going to get back?" Cullen asked after a moment or so of silence.

"I actually had a thought on that as we were following them back here." Dorian replied.

"And you didn't bother to tell us or them?" Snow said.

"Well, I'm not sure if it'll really work…" He said, and started explaining his idea to them.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful until Avexis went to bed, leaving Galyan and Cassandra alone. The two of them sat on the steps of the chantry and Galyan decided to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind. "Cassandra…?"

"Yes?"

He sat up straight and asked, "You do love me, don't you?"

Cassandra looked at him questionably, "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because I want to know."

"You should already know."

"I want to hear you _say_ it."

"I love you." Cassandra said, seriously, and Galyan smiled, albeit sadly, placing his hand gently against her cheek. He then leaned in and kissed her passionately as he wrapped his arms around her, but she placed her hands against his chest and pushed him back a bit. "Galyan, not now."

"If not now, when?"

"Just… not now." Cassandra sighed and stood up. "Why don't we just go to bed? Tomorrow's a big day, after all." She said, and headed to the home they'd been staying in.

Galyan sat there for a moment and sighed as he lowered his head, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. _'I feel awful about not telling her!'_ He thought, _'I just hope she can forgive me.'_

The next morning, around 10:00, Haven was buzzing with activity as people got ready to head to the Temple of Sacred Ashes for the conclave. Avexis and Cassandra were talking, and Avexis was doing her best to not sound sad and made sure to tell her that she'd see her afterwards. Then, when Galyan walked over, Avexis said, "I'll leave you two alone." She walked off to let them talk.

"Well, this is it…" Cassandra said. "The war could finally be over." He simply nodded, and she added, "I wish I could go with you and Avexis to help, but Most Holy insists that Leliana and I stay here in the village in case things go… awry."

"I'm glad for that, too, because I can't help but think that… things will."

Cassandra looked at him worriedly, "Hey, you're usually the one who's optimistic and telling me not to worry, but now that you're worried, I'm worried."

"Oh, no, don't be." He said, but didn't sound at all convincing. "Please, don't fret, my love." He gently placed his forehead against hers and sighed. "I'm just worried for you, is all; I'll be fine."

"You better be, because if something happens to you… just come back!" She ordered before grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him into a kiss.

Galyan sighed into the kiss and placed one hand behind her head and the other on her waist. He slowly moved away and hugged her close. "I love you, Cassandra, promise me that you'll always remember that?"

"I promise!"

"Papa," Avexis said as she walked back over. "We have to go now."

He nodded and looked back at Cassandra, "I will see you soon." He took her hand into his and kissed it before taking a couple steps back, their hands slowly sliding away from each other as he did. He turned and walked away with Avexis following close behind him. Once he and Avexis were out of seeing distance from Cassandra, they both looked to make sure no one was looking at them before sneaking into the trees and making their way back down the mountain. They met up with Snow, Cullen, and Dorian on the shore of the lake, opposite from the village, where the three of them had first appeared. "You're both here, good." Snow said. "I was starting to worry that you wouldn't make it off the mountain in time."

"Off the mountain? Just how big is this explosion going to be?" Avexis said, but right before Snow could respond, a loud bang resonated through the air as the top of the mountain blew up and a shockwave came down which was so powerful, it knocked them off their feet.

"…That big." Snow simply said after they got over the initial shock.

"You actually survived that?" Galyan asked Snow, and she nodded. "How?"

"You know, I still don't completely know myself." Snow said, rubbing her head, as if trying to remember. "The whole thing is really fuzzy, and I can only make out bits of pieces of what happened," She shook her head. "But that's not important right now! We need to go back to Redcliffe."

"Why?"

"Because Dorian has an idea on how to get us back to the present."

"How will going to Redcliffe get us there?"

"My old mentor, Alexius, is there, and he's the one who actually devised this form of time travel. If we can go there, and find his amulet, I could use it to send us back."

"Alright, let's do it!"

"There's a catch!"

"Oh," Galyan sighed. "Of course there is… why did I think otherwise? What's the catch?"

"In this point in time, Alexius is in a Tevinter cult called the Venatori, who work for the darkspawn that made that happen." Dorian said, referring to the explosion. "So, we need to be very careful to not get caught, because if we do… there will be no second chances."

"Cheery thought." Galyan sighed again. "Let's get this over with, then."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the lake, outside the village, Cassandra had stood there in utter shock at what had just happened while everyone around her cried or yelled in anger. She slowly fell to her knees and sat there, _'Galyan… Avexis… they're…'_ Tears welled up in her eyes and started streaming down her face. _'They can't be gone! This can't be happening!'_ She sobbed and leaned clutching her fist into the snow while her other hand was covering her mouth and her eyes were shut tight. She started to pray as hard as she could that it had never happened, that it was all some horrible nightmare that she was having and that she'd wake up to find Galyan lying next to her and Avexis on the bed across the room; when she opened her eyes, however, all that greeted her was the snow. She wiped away the tears with her sleeve and suddenly got a determined look on her face. "Someone is going to answer for this!" She growled, lowly.

Around 6:00 that afternoon, the five of them made it to Redcliffe and started towards the castle, but obviously didn't just go in through the front doors. Dorian led them through the secret entrance to the castle and up through the dungeon. When they got to the main floor, Dorian continued to lead the way while they all kept their eyes and ears open for the Venatori. Surprisingly, they made it to the second floor and to the master bedroom without incident and Dorian told them to start looking around for the amulet. During their search, one of the servants came into the room; when he saw them, he tried to run right back out and call for the guards, but Cullen quickly ran up behind him and hit him so hard it knocked him unconscious.

"Nice one!" Dorian complimented.

"Thanks!"

"Hey, is this what you're looking for?" Avexis suddenly asked as she held up what looked like a small black cube tied to a string.

"Yes, that's it!" Dorian cried as he ran over and took it from her. "Now, I just need to power it up and use it to focus the magic so we can head home!"

"Ready whenever you are!" Snow said, obviously happy and excited.

Dorian nodded and started channeling his magic into the amulet, and it took a few minutes, but it finally opened up a vortex which they all got sucked into.

Now, the room was empty as the vortex disappeared and the amulet fell to the floor…

––

Hello! I just wanted to say that I wanted to make this chapter longer, but then I thought that this was a good place to end it for now, leave you all in suspense for a bit, but I promise, not for _too_ long! Nice reviews make me happy! :D


	3. Surprise, surprise

That night, back in Haven, Leliana was leading Cassandra down to the cells below the chantry after her scouts had found Snow who had fallen out of a rift. They got to the door and looked in through the window of it, seeing her sitting on the floor, chained up. "This is the one who caused the explosion?" Cassandra growled.

"We're not sure; she's been unresponsive since we've found her, but she's our only suspect at the moment."

"I'll make her talk." Cassandra slammed the door open, and the guards sheathed their swords as she walked in. She slowly walked around and asked, "Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now!" She growled, "The conclave is destroyed, everyone who attended is dead… except for you!"

"What do you mean "everyone's dead"?"

"Explain this!" Cassandra growled as she grabbed her wrist and showed her the anchor on her hand as it glowed.

"I… can't!"

"What do you mean "you can't"?!"

"I don't know what that is, or how it got there!" She insisted.

"You're lying!" Cassandra growled as she grabbed her, but Leliana grabbed her arm and pushed her away.

"We need her, Cassandra!"

"I can't believe it… all those people… dead." Snow said, genuinely sad.

"Do you know what happened? How this began?"

"I remember… running. Things were chasing me and then… a woman?"

"A woman?"

"She… reached out to me, but then…"

"Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift." Cassandra said, and Leliana nodded before leaving, and Cassandra walked over, unlocking the chains before tying her hands back up with rope.

"What did happen?"

"It… will be easier to show you." Cassandra led her upstairs and out of the chantry, and Snow had to shield her eyes from a bright light before looking up and seeing what it was. "We call it the breach… it is a massive tear into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour; it is not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the conclave."

"An explosion can do that?"

"This one did. Unless we act, the breach may grow until it swallows the world." Cassandra said before a flash of light came from it and Snow cried out in pain as she fell to her knees. "Every time the breach expands, you're mark spreads, and it is killing you! It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time!"

"You say it "may" be the key, to doing what?"

"Closing the breach, whether that's possible is something we shall discover shortly."

"You still think I did this? To myself?"

"Not intentionally. Something… clearly went wrong."

"And if I'm _not_ responsible?"

"Someone is, and you are our only suspect. You want to prove your innocence? This is the only way."

"I understand." Snow sighed.

"Then…"

"I'll do what I can, whatever it takes." Snow said and got dragged by Cassandra out of the village, and once they were out, Cassandra took out a dagger and cut the rope off Snow's hands.

"Come, it is not far."

Snow and Cassandra made their way up the paths until they came to a smaller rift where a few people were fighting off demons, and once the last of them were gone, an elf walked up to Snow and grabbed her wrist. "Quickly! Before more come through!" He held her hand up to the rift and it suddenly disappeared.

"What did you do?"

" _I_ did nothing, the credit is yours."

"I closed that thing… how?"

"Whatever magic opened the breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized that the mark could be used to close the rifts that have opened in the breach's wake, and it seems I was correct."

"Meaning it could also close the breach itself?" Cassandra asked.

"Possibly. It seems you hold the key to our salvation."

"Good to know! Here I thought we'd be ass-deep in demons forever!" A dwarf said and walked over, introducing himself, "Varric Tethras, rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, unwelcome dag-along." He winked at Cassandra, and she just sneered back.

"Are you with the chantry, or…?" Snow asked.

The elf laughed, "Was that a serious question?"

"Technically, I'm a prisoner, just like you."

"I brought you here to tell your story to the Divine… clearly, that is no longer necessary." Cassandra said.

"Yet, here I am! Lucky for you, considering current events…"

"That's… a nice crossbow you have there." Snow suddenly said to break the ice.

"Ah! Isn't she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together!"

"You named your crossbow Bianca?"

"Of course, and she'll be great company in the valley!"

"Absolutely not!" Cassandra said. "Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-"

"Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren't in control anymore! You need me!"

Cassandra groaned disgustedly and walked a few feet away, and this time it was the elf's turn to break the ice. "My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live."

"He means, "I kept that mark from killing you while you slept"." Varric said.

"Then I owe you my thanks." Snow said with a small nod.

"Thank me if we manage to close the breach without killing you in the process. Cassandra, you should know, the magic used here is unlike any I have seen. Your prisoner is no mage… indeed, I find it difficult to imagine _any_ mage having such power."

"Understood. Let's get to the forward camp."

"Well… Bianca's excited!" Varric said and followed after Cassandra and Solas.

The four of them continued down the trials until they reached the forward camp, and from there, they decided to take the mountain path to the temple. When they got there, all that greeted them were charred corpses in a crumbling ruin.

"I can't even believe…" Snow said, looking ready to cry. "Who would do this?!"

"That's what we'll consider after the breach has been closed. Are you ready?"

"I'll try, but I'm not sure if I can even reach that, much less, close it."

"No, this rift was the first, and it is the key." Solas said.

"Then, let's find a way down, and be careful!"

After closing the breach, Snow fell unconscious from lack of strength, and one of the soldiers ended up picking her up and bringing her back to Haven. Snow ended up staying unconscious for a couple days before she finally came to, and she was told that Cassandra was in the chantry waiting for her. Snow headed to the chantry where Cassandra told her that she was no longer a suspect in causing the disaster at the conclave, and was offered a place in the new inquisition, which she accepted.

A few days afterwards, Snow was walking around the training area outside Haven and spotted Cassandra hitting some training dummies with her sword, and she could tell that she was stressed by how hard she was hitting them. "I think you need training dummies made of sturdier stuff." She said as she walked over.

"That would be nice!"

"Like maybe iron!"

Cassandra sighed, "Did I do the right thing? What I've set in motion here could destroy everything I have revered my whole life. One day, they may write about me as a traitor, a mad woman, a fool… and they may be right."

"You didn't have any choice."

"Didn't I?" She hit the dummy a few more times. "My trainers always said, "Cassandra, you are too brash! You must think before you act!" I see what must be done, and I do it! I see no point in running around in circles like a dog chasing its tail, but I misjudged you in the beginning, did I not? I thought the answer was before me, clear as day."

"I can't say that the evidence wasn't damning, so it's not like you had no reason to suspect me."

"I was determined to have someone answer for what happened… anyone."

"Why, though?" Snow suddenly asked.

"What do you mean "why"?"

"It just seems like… you took the whole event very seriously, more seriously than most. Was it the Divine you were so upset about… or was there someone else?"

Cassandra looked a bit shocked before glaring. "That is too personal."

"So there _was_ someone else!"

"…I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't, so drop it!"

"Alright, alright." Snow held her hands up defensively. "I didn't mean to pry, I just… I thought that maybe if we talked about it, it would make you feel better."

Cassandra calmed down and sighed, "Thank you, but no, I really don't want to talk about it… it's… too painful."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." Snow said before walking off, and Cassandra just sighed again, looking up at the mountain.

The next couple weeks passed without incident… well, besides the common incidents, mainly killing demons and closing rifts, the usual, really. That all changed one night while Snow, Cassandra, Solas, and Varric were at one of the camps in the Hinterlands, sleeping. Snow was woken up by the sound of someone retching outside, so she got out of her bedroll and walked out of the tent to find Cassandra bent over with her hands on her knees, panting having just thrown up. "Cassandra…?" Snow asked, and she gasped as she looked back at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you…"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You're not sick?"

"No, I said I'm fine. I think it was just something I ate, but it's out of my system now, so let's just go back to bed." She said and walked back to her tent and entered it.

The next day, the four of them were walking down one of the dirt roads when Cassandra suddenly felt dizzy, and she sat down on a nearby boulder to try and let it pass.

"Cassandra? What's wrong?" Snow asked.

"I'm just a little lightheaded, but I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Last night, you were throwing up and now you're lightheaded? Maybe you are sick…"

"I'm not. I'm fine, really."

"Obviously not! Maybe we should just leave now and get you back to Haven."

"No."

Snow sighed heavily. "The crossroads are not that far from here… let's at least go there, then, and let a healer look at you."

"No need. I'm telling you, I… am… _fine_!"

"You're never going to win, you know?" Varric said to Snow. "She's as stubborn as a mule."

"Well, I can be just as stubborn! So, come on!" Snow said as she grabbed Cassandra's arm and dragged her towards the crossroads. When they got there, Snow took Cassandra into one of the healer's huts while Varric and Solas decided to wait outside.

A few minutes later, the two of them came back out. Cassandra looked petrified as Snow said, "I knew something was off."

"What? What happened?" Varric asked. "Is Seeker ill?"

Snow shook her head and replied, "She's pregnant."

"Huh?!"

"That's wonderful!" Solas said. "Who's the father?"

"Yeah, is it someone we know?" Snow asked, and Cassandra just shook her head. "Who, then?"

"I…I need to be alone." That was all Cassandra said before walking off.

"So… let me get this straight. Seeker… Cassandra is _pregnant_?" Varric asked, beyond shocked, and Snow nodded. "As in, she has a baby growing inside of her?"

"Yes."

"She's going to be a mother… that's a horrifying thought!"

"Now is not the time for joking, Varric! This is serious!"

"I know, for once, I wasn't joking."

"Then that was just plain awful, what you said!" Snow growled and followed Cassandra.

After a few minutes of searching, Snow found Cassandra sitting on a large rock and staring up at the sky. Cassandra heard her approaching footsteps, and without turning around, asked, "What part of "I need to be alone" did you not understand?"

"I just thought that you might want to talk about it after all. I mean, it can't be easy, suddenly finding out that you're carrying another life within you. I just want to help, if I can."

"What is it with you?" Cassandra asked, a bit more bitterly than she meant to. "You barely know me, yet you always want me to talk to you as if we're friends."

"Because despite the rocky start… I'd like us to be friends." Snow said, and when Cassandra didn't reply, she added, "Well, if you want to talk later-"

"Wait." Cassandra said, rather quietly, but loud enough for Snow to hear her. "…I'm sorry."

"Beg pardon?"

"I said, I'm sorry. I know I can be quite harsh at times, and it's… difficult for me to open up to others, but… maybe having someone to talk to right now _would_ be helpful."

Snow nodded and sat down on the rock next to her. "So, what exactly is going through your mind right now?"

"I'm… thinking about Galyan."

"Who's Galyan?"

"This child's father…"

"…Where is he now?"

Tears threatened to fall from Cassandra's eyes, but she quickly blinked them away, not wanting to show weakness. "He's dead."

"How did he die?"

"He was at the conclave…"

"Oh! … _Oh_!" Snow said in understanding. "He was the other person you were upset about, wasn't he? That's the reason you were so intent on having someone pay for what happened!" Cassandra nodded. "Are you upset because it's his child that you're pregnant with?"

She sighed and shook her head, "It's not the fact that I'm pregnant that upsets me, really… it's the fact that Galyan's not here anymore. I know he would've been a wonderful father…" Again, tears formed, but she fought them back.

"…Are you going to keep this child?"

"I don't know… that's one of the questions I'm asking myself." Cassandra said, and Snow wanted to speak up and say that she thought that she should keep the baby, but then stopped herself; she knew it wasn't her place to tell Cassandra what to do.

––

Hey, everyone! I know this story might seem a bit rushed, but I actually don't know how to say what happened through the _whole_ year. Anyway, more to come soon! Nice reviews make me happy!


	4. Reunited

After Cassandra and Snow's conversation, they met back up with Varric and Solas before heading back to Haven, and when they got back, they ran into Leliana and Josephine. "Oh, you four are back." Leliana said, sounding a bit surprised, "We didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Something came up…" Cassandra replied, trailing off.

"What is it?"

Cassandra glanced at Snow who nodded back. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Josephine said happily, clapping her hands together in excitement.

"It is?"

"Yes, aren't you happy?"

"Should I be?"

"Most women would be." Leliana pointed out. "I know my friend, Amanda, would do anything to become a mother."

"Well, you'll have to forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm." Cassandra walked off without another word, and went into the village.

That next evening, Snow walked into the tavern and saw Cassandra sitting alone at one of the tables, and she decided to check up with her. "Cassandra…?"

"What?"

"How are you feeling?" Snow asked, sitting across from her.

"Alright, I guess…"

"Have you given any thought into whether you're going to keep the baby or not?"

"I have, actually."

"And?"

Cassandra shook her head and answered, "I can't be a mother. I'm a warrior, that's all I've ever known. What kind of life can I give to a child?"

"A good life! You and this baby could live happily together as mother and daughter… or mother and son, whatever it turns out to be!"

"I don't know…"

"Listen to me, I have experience in this area. My sister got pregnant a couple years ago, but during her pregnancy, her husband died, so she started talking about giving away the baby when it was born. Once it _was_ born, however, she held it in her arms and suddenly decided that she didn't want to give it up for the world. So, what I'm saying is, you could grow to love this child."

"I already do."

"Then why do you want-"

"I'm thinking about what's best for the baby. I already told you, I can't be a mother; I don't know the first thing about how to raise a child."

"No one does at first. I mean, sure, you could read up on the subject and research everything there is to know, but every child is different. Every child has their own needs, their own wants… and you never really know what to do until you do it."

"So, you think I should keep the baby?"

"Yes, I do! If Galyan were here, what would he want you to do?"

"He'd… want me to keep it, but he always wanted us to raise a family _together_ …" She slowly placed her head down against the table with a sigh.

Snow frowned and thought about what to say before placing her hand gently on top of Cassandra's and saying comfortingly, "I understand that you're hurting, but maybe that grief has clouded your thinking a bit." Cassandra lifted her head a bit to look at Snow before she continued, "I mean, this child is Galyan's, it's a part of him, and I know that Galyan is gone, but isn't that all the more reason to hold on to what you have left of him?"

Cassandra paused as she thought. "…I never thought about that way before." She sat up straight. "You know what? You've changed my mind; I am going to keep this baby!"

"Good! I'm glad!" Snow said and watched as Cassandra gave her a nod before leaving, and she thought, _'She's not nearly as stubborn as Varric made her out to be.'_

The next morning, Snow was getting ready to leave for Val Royeaux, and she was in the war room with Cassandra, Cullen, Josephine, and Leliana as they talked about how they would approach the clerics.

"Having the herald address the clerics is not a terrible idea." Josephine said.

"You must be joking!" Cullen replied.

"Mother Giselle isn't wrong; right now, the chantry's only strength is that they're united in opinion."

"And we should ignore the danger to the herald?" Leliana asked.

"Let's ask her."

Snow sighed and said, "I'm more concerned that this won't actually solve any problems."

"I agree," Cullen said. "It just lends credence to the idea that we should care what the chantry says!"

"I will go with her." Cassandra said. "Mother Giselle said she could provide us names, use them."

"But why?" Leliana said, shaking her head disapprovingly. "This is nothing but a-"

"What choice do we have, Leliana? Right now, we can't approach anyone for help with the breach. Use what influence we _do_ have to call the clerics together, and once that's done, we will see this through!"

"Thanks for offering to come with me," Snow said. "But are you sure you can make the journey to Val Royeaux?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… given your condition?"

"I'm pregnant, not terminally ill."

"I know, but I just want to be sure that you can handle it."

"You don't need to worry about me. Besides, I'm not even showing yet, so I'll be fine."

"If you say so."

A few months passed without much development, although, Haven had been destroyed by Corypheus, the Inquisition moved to Skyhold, and it had grown substantially since then. Snow came back to Skyhold from a mission to the Hissing Wastes with Bull, Dorian, and Varric and went to go see Cassandra, who was in the main hall, eating. Over the past few months, Cassandra had started to show that she was with child, and now, anyone who looked at her could clearly tell. "Hi Cassandra."

"Oh, Inquisitor, you're back."

"You know you don't need to call me Inquisitor." Snow said as she sat next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"You don't need to keep checking up on me, you know?"

"I look out for my friends, especially friends who have another life to look out for."

Cassandra cracked a small smile. "Well, I appreciate your concern, for both myself and the baby, but we're fine."

"Good!"

"But while you're here, Inquis- Snow, I need a favor."

"Name it."

"I've been thinking a lot lately about all the red templars we saw at the assault on Haven, and all the reports of them still out there…"

"And…?"

"What I haven't seen or heard of is Lord Seeker Lucius… in fact, I have seen no signs of _any_ seekers among the red templars. I have a growing suspicion that Corypheus has imprisoned them."

"Finding them obviously means a lot to you."

"I left the order, but I could never abandon them. I cannot claim that rescuing them would be beneficial, they would not look kindly on the Inquisition, but even so… if there's a chance. If we could spare recources to follow up on these leads, I would appreciate it."

"I'll have people look into it for you, I promise."

"Thank you. Oh, and… one other thing."

"Yes?"

"When you find them, I want to go with you to investigate."

"But… you're pregnant!"

"I am well aware of that, but still… I feel I have to do this. Please, just take me with you."

Snow sighed. "Alright… you can come, but you have to promise you'll be careful, no rash action, that's an order!"

"Yes, Inquisitor." Cassandra said, using her title to show that she was serious and to acknowledge her authority.

A couple days later after Snow and Cassandra had gotten back from Caer Oswin along with Bull and Dorian, Snow went up to the floor above the forge and found Cassandra sitting at the table, looking down at the book containing the secrets of the Seeker order in front of her. When Cassandra noticed Snow there, she said, "This book has passed from Lord Seeker to Lord Seeker since the time of the original Inquisition… and now, it falls to me."

"Are you alright? You look… drained."

"Do you know what the Rite of Tranquility is?" She asked as Snow sat across from her. "The last resort used on mages in the circle, leaving them unable to cast, but depriving them of dreams and all emotion. It should only be used on those who cannot control their abilities, but that has not always been the case."

"Deprived of all emotion… that sounds…"

"I've always thought it a necessary evil. What finally began the mage rebellion was the discovery that the Rite of Tranquility could be reversed. The Lord Seeker at the time covered it up, harshly… there were deaths. It was dangerous knowledge, the shock of its discovery in addition to what happened in Kirkwall…" She sighed and continued. "But it appears we've _always_ known how to reverse the rite, from the beginning."

"Why keep that knowledge a secret?"

"…We… _created_ the Rite of Tranquility. I told you about my vigil, the months I spent emptying myself of emotion. I was made tranquil and didn't even know, then the Vigil summoned a spirit of faith to touch my mind; that broke tranquility and gave me my abilities." She suddenly stood up and walked to the window, looking out of it. "There's more… Lucius was not wrong about the order. I'm not sure what to do now…"

"You could rebuild the Seekers, make them better than they were, no more secrets."

Cassandra was silent as she thought for a moment before looking back at Snow and smiling. "Thank you. I could not have done this on my own."

Snow smiled back and replied, "Don't mention it. I'd do anything for my friends!"

Another few months later, Cassandra was nearing the end of her pregnancy term, but still insisted on going with Snow and Cullen to storm Samson's hideout along with Solas and Varric, and after about twenty minutes of persuading, Snow finally agreed to let her come. Although, Snow set a few rules, one of them being that everyone else would fight for her, and that she was _not_ to engage in a fight unless it was absolutely necessary. Storming Samson's hideout revealed that someone had tipped off Samson that they were coming, so he had fled before they got there.

On the way back to Skyhold, the five of them were walking on the cliffside that dropped down to the canyon in the Western Approach as Cullen ranted. "I can't believe that scumbag Samson! He let his own people die because he's too much of a coward to face us himself!"

"Don't worry, Cullen." Snow said, placing her hand on top of his. "We'll get him."

"I pray you're right."

Snow looked back and noticed Cassandra leaning against a rock, looking like she was trying to catch her breath. "Cassandra, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just… I'm just a little worn out, that's all."

"Maybe you should've stayed at Skyhold… I mean, you could be due any day now."

"You really need to stop worrying about me." Cassandra said. "I've survived worse things than this."

"I can't help it if I'm worried about my friends, especially a friend that's about to-"

"Shh!" Cassandra suddenly said.

"What? Why are you shushing me, I'm just-"

"No, really. Shh!" She slapped her hand over Snow's mouth and whispered, "You hear that?" Snow let out a muffled 'no', but then heard something and looked down.

"I hear it…" Cullen said, worry lacing his tone and he slowly kneeled down and brushed some sand off the stone they were standing on and gasped; the stone appeared to be… cracking.

"Aw shit…" Varric sighed, frozen. "We're about the fall through the ground, aren't we?"

"Not if we're careful. We need to back off of this cliffside one at a time. Cassandra, you're the closest to the edge, so you go first, just don't lift your feet." Cullen said, and Cassandra nodded, slowly moving off the cracking rock. "Alright, Snow, you next."

Snow slowly followed Cassandra's footsteps, but as she moved, she must've stepped right in the wrong spot and a loud crack resonated through the canyon before the rocks gave way, and the four of them fell down the cliff. Snow coughed and looked around after the dust settled, "Is everyone alright?" She asked, and they all responded with groans; she looked around some more and called, "Cassandra!"

"I'm up here!" She called back from back on top of the cliff.

"Hold on! We're coming!" Snow cried and the four of them tried to find a way back up the cliff.

Cassandra looked down and watched as they tried to find a way up when she suddenly felt a strong sudden pain in her abdomen and growled. She then gasped when she realized what was happening, and she cried, "Snow!"

"What?! What is it?!"

"It's coming!"

"It's coming?" Snow asked, confused. "What's coming?" It then dawned on her and her eyes widened. "…Oh! The baby! What do we do now?!"

"Fuck! Just when I thought it couldn't get worse!" Varric sighed.

"Just hang on, Cassandra!" Cullen called, they all started looking even faster to try and find a way back up.

"Okay, okay…" Cassandra said, panting and sat down. "They…They're coming. We just need to… hold on until then." She put her hand on her stomach and sighed, "I got to say, sweetheart, you really got timing…"

When Snow, Cullen, Solas and Varric were heading back up to get to Cassandra, they suddenly spotted a couple hyenas up the trail, and they had their noses in the wind before starting to make a b-line for where Cassandra was.

"We can't let them get to her!" Snow cried.

"Wait!" Varric said, "Chuckles and I will go protect Seeker; you and Curly stop them!"

"But-"

"No time for buts! If they reach her, it'll be too late!"

"…Alright! Let's do this!" Snow said before they ran off after the hyenas, and Snow and Cullen got in the hyenas way, preventing them from going further while Varric went with Solas, continuing down the trail and straight to Cassandra. When they got there, they saw that the hyenas weren't the only ones who had sensed her distress. A quillback had beaten them there, but before he was close enough to attack Cassandra, Varric pulled out his crossbow and fired, and the shot hit dead-on, killing the quillback instantly.

"Woo-hoo! Right between the eyes!" Varric cheered. "Bianca-baby, you never miss!"

"Excuse me!" Cassandra growled. "I hate to interrupt your touching moment with your crossbow, but if you can't tell, I'm giving birth here!"

"Oh, right!" Varric said sheepishly and walked over, putting Bianca away. "Sorry. You okay?"

"Am I okay?! Do you know anything about childbirth?!"

"No, not really."

"Well, I do." Solas said as he kneeled down next to Cassandra. "Just relax and we'll have this baby delivered in no time!"

Meanwhile, over with Snow and Cullen, they were fighting the hyenas, but as soon as they were done, more showed up. "Oh, come on!" Snow yelled. She reached behind her for another arrow from her quiver when she realized it was empty. "Shit! I'm out of arrows!"

"Don't worry! I'll deal with the rest on my own!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, go and help Cassandra!" Cullen ordered, and Snow nodded before leaving. She made it over to them in a couple minutes, and found that Solas had taken off the outer part of his robe to cover Cassandra's lower half after he'd taken her pants off.

"Alright, I'm going to wait until the contractions get a bit closer together before I'll ask you to push." Solas told her.

"Maker, they get closer together?!"

"Yes, but just try to relax as best you can."

Snow kneeled next to her and offered Cassandra her hand. "Here, take my hand, squeeze it, if you have to."

Cassandra took Snow's hand and held it tight, squeezing it with a cry of pain as another contraction hit her.

"Good! That was a good one!" Solas said encouragingly.

A little while later, Cassandra was lying on the ground panting from exhaustion while Snow and Solas tended to the baby.

"You did great, Cassandra!" Cullen said, placing his hand on her forehead.

"Thanks…" She panted with a small smile and lifted her head up a bit. "How's the baby?"

"He's fine!" Snow said with a bright smile.

"He?"

"Yes, it's a boy!" Snow then handed over the baby, who was now wrapped up in a makeshift blanket, to Cassandra, and she looked down at her newborn son and smiled. The baby already had a little bit of hair and it was black like Cassandra's, but when he opened his eyes, she could see that he had Galyan's mossy green eyes. "What are you going to name him?" Snow asked.

"Hm…" Cassandra hummed in thought. "I'm thinking… Anthony, Anthony D'Marcall."

"D'Marcall?" Varric asked. "But your last name is Pentaghast."

"Yes, but he's Galyan's son, so he'll have his last name."

"Well, alright, he's your baby."

A couple weeks after Anthony was born, Snow had been getting ready to leave for the Arbor Wilds and went to go see if Cassandra was ready to leave yet; she found Cassandra hovering over her son's crib as he slept. "Hey, are you ready to go?"

"I just don't think I should… he needs me."

"Come on, Cassandra. When you were still pregnant with him, I always had to dissuade you from coming with me and putting yourself in harm's way, but now that he's been born, you never want to leave."

"That was different. When I was still pregnant with him, he was always with me, but now…" Cassandra said. "It may sound crazy, but… I love him even more since he's been born. He's my son…"

"I understand, but I need you! You're the strongest warrior I have! You're even stronger than Bull, and that's saying something!" She said, and Cassandra chuckled. "Leliana promised that she'd take good care of Anthony while we're gone! So, come on! What do you say?"

Cassandra sighed. "Alright."

"Thank you!"

When they got back from the Arbor Wilds by going through the eluvian, the first thing Cassandra did was go right to Leliana's room to check on Anthony. "Leliana, how did-"

"Shh!" Leliana shushed her before pointing to Anthony's crib where he was, fast asleep, sucking his thumb as babies do.

Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief. "He's alright."

"Of course he is. I told Snow that I'd take good care of him."

"I know, and I trust you, I really do. It's just that this is my first time being a mother… well, being a mother to a baby, anyway. I guess I just tend to fret a bit over him a bit."

"That's normal, it means you care about him."

"I know." Cassandra lowered the bars on the side of Anthony's crib before reaching in and picking him up to hold him in her arms. Anthony whined and cried a little at being woken up from a sound sleep, but once he saw who was holding him, he immediately calmed down. Anthony let out a cute little yawn before closing his eyes and falling right back asleep. Cassandra smiled and lightly kissed his forehead, "I love you, Anthony."

Roughly a month after Corypheus had been defeated, Cassandra was training in the courtyard. Since having Anthony, she realized that she'd gotten rusty from not training as much, so, that afternoon, she asked Leliana to watch him for a couple hours while she practiced and got back into shape.

Meanwhile, down in the dungeon, a vortex suddenly opened before Snow, Dorian, Cullen, Galyan, and Avexis came tumbling through, right where they had left. "Ah, you three are back, and I see you brought back others." Alexius said, sounding completely unfazed by their sudden appearance.

"How long have we been gone?" Dorian asked.

"About ten minutes."

"Oops. Guess I overshot it a bit, sorry."

"That's okay! It's only by ten minutes! I'm sure hardly anyone has noticed that we were gone!"

"Where's Cassandra?" Galyan asked, sounding impatient.

"Last time I saw her, she was by the training area; if only ten minutes have gone by, I'm sure she's still there."

"And… the training area is where, exactly?"

Snow laughed, "Follow me." She led them upstairs and into the courtyard, and almost immediately spotted her. "Yes, there she is!"

"Mama!" Avexis cried and ran over, practically tackling her in a hug as she turned around.

"Avexis?! How…?"

"Cassandra!" Galyan said as he ran over to her, too.

"Galyan… Avexis…" She stepped back and looked shocked. "How are you two here? I thought you were both dead…"

"We would've been if it hadn't been for them." Galyan said, motioning to Snow, Dorian and Cullen who were standing a few feet away.

Avexis nodded and added, "If they hadn't stopped us from going to the conclave, we would have died when the explosion happened." When Cassandra just continued standing there, looking shocked, she asked, "What's the matter? Aren't you happy?"

Cassandra snapped out of her shock. "Oh, of course I am! I've never been happier in my entire life!" She hugged them both, and they hugged her back, lovingly.

Over with the others, Snow cheered, "Woo! We actually did it! This is so awesome!" Cullen couldn't help but chuckle at how cute she looked when happy and kissed her.

"Cassandra," Leliana called as she walked over to them, holding Anthony in her arms. "I think- Galyan?"

"Hello Leliana."

"We thought you were dead!"

"I know, and I'll explain everything later, I promise, but first… who's this little guy?" Galyan asked, tickling the baby, and it giggled.

"Ask his mother." Leliana said as she handed the baby to Cassandra.

"What?!" Snow cried, having seen the whole thing.

"Wait…" Galyan asked, "Is this my son?"

"Yes." Cassandra said with a nod. "A couple weeks after the conclave, I found out I was pregnant."

"Oh!" Avexis gasped and smiled. "He is the most adorable baby brother!"

"I'm so sorry, Cassandra." Galyan said.

"Sorry? For what?"

"If I had known… I would've stayed, and been with you through your entire pregnancy."

"It's alright, Galyan, you didn't know, and you're here now! That's what's important!"

"Can I hold him?" He asked, holding his arms out.

"Of course!" Cassandra said with a smile and gently handed him over. "Mind his head."

"He's so tiny!" Galyan chuckled and almost immediately developed a proud look on his face. "Hey there, buddy." He greeted. "I'm your daddy!" The baby looked almost confused for a moment, as if he'd never heard the word 'daddy' before, but then smiled and held out his arms to him, and Galyan hugged him. "What's his name?"

"Anthony. His name is Anthony."

"You named him after your brother?" He asked, and she nodded. "Anthony D'Marcall… I love it!" He kissed Cassandra and they both looked down at their son, happily.

A few feet away, Snow whispered, "How is this possible? She didn't have a son before!"

"I don't know. We must've done something that-" Dorian suddenly stopped. "Oh no…"

"What? What?!"

"The first day we were in the past, do you remember how we stopped that scout from interrupting Galyan and Cassandra while they were together?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe she was _supposed_ to interrupt that and maybe even stop it from happening at all, but since she didn't…"

"That's when Cassandra became pregnant."

"Exactly! This is bad!" Dorian said worriedly.

"What do you mean? How is this bad?" Cullen asked. "I mean, look at them! I've never seen Cassandra so happy!"

"Neither have I," Snow said. "And making her happy was the whole reason I did this, so I agree with Cullen, how is this bad?"

"Because that child was never supposed to exist! Meaning, everything he does could have dramatic consequences!"

"Oh, will you stop being so melodramatic?" Snow groaned. "Have you stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, this _was_ supposed to happen? That maybe us going back in time in itself was _supposed_ to happen?"

"I don't see how that's really possible…"

"A lot of seemingly impossible things have been made possible, if you haven't noticed." Snow looked back over at Cassandra. "Besides, Cassandra is happy, Galyan is happy, Avexis is happy, everyone is happy! So, don't worry so much!"

Dorian sighed and looked at them, smiling, "Alright, I won't worry, Snow! I'll just pray that all will be well!"

––

Hello everybody! I rewrote this chapter because I wanted to change a few things! Also, I want to say that when I first came up with the idea of Cassandra becoming pregnant with Galyan's child, I have to admit, I didn't know if I should make it a boy or a girl, or what their name would be! Although, I was watching Dawn of the Seeker again a few days ago and it suddenly hit me! "Anthony!" I thought, "Yes, that's the perfect name! She could name her son after her brother!" One more thing, I think the next chapter will be the last chapter, so… bear with me, okay?

Nice reviews make me happy!


	5. Happily Ever After

That night, Galyan and Cassandra were in her room, and Galyan was explaining everything to her, how he had been warned about the disaster at the conclave and why he had to keep it a secret from her. "I hope you can forgive me for not telling you that I wasn't going to die…" He said, worriedly.

"Given that you had no choice and you risked your life to save Avexis as well… I forgive you." Cassandra said and kissed his cheek. "I just can't believe you did all that for me."

"Of course I did. I love you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Cassandra." He lifted her head a bit and kissed her, and she responded, but before the kiss could go too far, they suddenly heard crying from Anthony's crib. "I'll get him." He kissed her forehead and went over to the crib, picking Anthony up out of it. "Hey, hey, hey buddy. What's wrong?"

"He's probably hungry; he hasn't eaten in a few hours. Here, bring him to me." Cassandra said, and Galyan did just that as Cassandra took her shirt off.

"Uh… what are you doing?"

"About to feed my baby, now can I have him?"

"Oh, right!" Galyan replied, rather sheepishly, and handed Anthony over gently. Cassandra took their son and held him close, and he almost immediately stopped crying as he started feeding. "Anthony is lucky to have you as a mother!"

Cassandra smiled back at him and said, "He's also lucky to have you as a father!" Galyan chuckled and kissed her forehead again.

The next morning, Cassandra woke up and found the other side of her bed empty, and she briefly wondered where Galyan went before getting out of bed and checking on Anthony, but he was gone, too. That's when she started to get worried, and began looking around the room for a note or something that Galyan may have left, but there was nothing; she quickly ran outside to find all her friends and companions waiting for her. "What's going on?"

"Don't ask us, we're just as much in the dark as you are, Seeker." Varric said.

"All we know is that Galyan woke us all up this morning and told us to stand here and wait for you." Snow explained, and Cassandra saw that she was holding Anthony.

"What could he possibly be planning…?"

"I can answer that." Galyan said as he walked over to them.

"Alright, how about now, then?"

"Gladly." He got down on one knee in front of Cassandra and smiled up at her, taking her hands into his. "Cassandra, I love you more than life itself and you make me so happy. So, will you let me spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me? …Will you marry me?"

Cassandra just stood there; she couldn't think, she couldn't even breathe! After a moment of silence, Galyan was looking more and more worried that she was about to reject him, but he calmed down when she gave him a smile and tears welled up her eyes. "Yes!"

"You will?!" He asked, excitedly.

"Yes! Yes, I will!" She said with a nod and he jumped up, giving her a kiss excitedly.

A few hours later, Avexis was in a room upstairs with Cassandra and Galyan, and watched as they played with Anthony… in a way they had never done with her. She just sighed and began reading one of the books that was lying on the table in front of her when Galyan said her name. "Yes?"

"Could you hand me that box of sock puppets next to you?"

Avexis looked at the box before picking it up and bringing it over, dropping it next to Galyan, "Puppets, sure…"

"Avexis, is there something bother-" Cassandra started to ask, but then noticed she was already gone. "Avexis?"

When Avexis left the building, she made her way up onto the battlements and sat herself on the ledge, looking out over the mountains. _'They never used to give me that kind of attention… no, why would they? I'm not their real child! Maybe I've just been fooling myself all these years by telling myself that they see me as their daughter, when in reality… they don't. Now that they have Anthony, I'm… nothing to them, just some girl that they know.'_ She thought sadly as tears welled up in her eyes.

That night, after Cassandra and Galyan went to bed, Avexis snuck up to their room and went up to Anthony's crib, holding a small stuffed bear; it was a small toy that Galyan had personally sewed for her when she was a kid. She placed the bear with a note on it in the corner of the crib and smiled down at him before turning around, leaving the building, and leaving Skyhold.

The next morning, Galyan got woken up by Cassandra, who seemed panicked. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Galyan cried as he sat up and pulled her close to comfort her. "What's wrong? What's got you so worked up?"

"Avexis is gone!"

"What?! What do you mean she's gone?! Gone where?!"

"I don't know! I just woke up this morning and checked on Anthony, and I found this in his crib!" She handed him the bear and the note.

"This is the teddy bear I made for her…" Galyan said, sadly, and read the note. The first thing he noticed was that she didn't address it to "mama and papa", she addressed it to "Cassandra and Galyan".

 _Dear Cassandra and Galyan,_

 _Thank you for everything, for putting up with me for all these years, and I want you to know that I always have – and always will – be grateful to you two for rescuing me from those blood mages when I was little._

 _I'm writing this to let you two know that I am leaving, and by the time you do read this, I will be long gone. Despite whether you two ever thought of me as your daughter, I have always thought of you as my parents. Now that you two have Anthony, though, I know you don't need to pretend with me anymore._

 _Goodbye,_

 _Avexis_

"I…I can't believe it." Galyan sighed. "Avexis thinks we've just been pretending with her?"

"That must've been why she was upset yesterday."

"I thought she knew that nothing could ever replace her."

"I thought so, too…"

"We have to go find her!"

"My thoughts exactly, but who's going to watch Anthony while we're gone?"

"I'm sure Snow wouldn't mind!"

Cassandra nodded, "Then, let's go!" She went over and picked up Anthony before leaving with Galyan, and they found Snow in the main hall, talking with Cullen, Luna, Fenris, Amanda, and Alastair. "Snow!"

"Hm? Oh, hi Cassandra." She saw the look on her face and frowned. "What's the matter?"

"Avexis left, and Galyan and I have to go look for her, but we need someone to watch Anthony for us, so we hoped…"

"Of course I will! I'd be happy to!"

"Great! Thank you so much!" Cassandra said with a slight bow of her head and handed him to Snow. "His stuff is up in our room if you need anything!" She looked back at Galyan, "Let's go!" He nodded, and they left in a hurry.

A few hours later, Cassandra and Galyan were still walking around, trying to find where Avexis had gone, and they found a trail that very well could be hers; they followed the trail through the mountains and ended up at a cave. "Are you sure this trail belongs to Avexis?" Cassandra asked, and he nodded.

"She must be in there somewhere."

Suddenly, there was an ear-piercing scream from inside and someone came running out; it was Avexis. She didn't even seem to notice them, though, as she ran passed, and they looked back at the cave to see an ogre walking out.

"Run!" Galyan cried to Cassandra, and they did. "Avexis!" He called when they were close enough to her.

"What are you two doing here?!"

"Sightseeing!" Cassandra replied, sarcastically, before saying, "We came out here to look for you!"

"Why? You two have Anthony! You don't need me anymore!" She suddenly jumped away when the ogre came crashing through the trees and tried to crush her with its fist. The ogre then tried to crush her with its other fist, but Galyan quickly knocked her out of the way before it could.

"Avexis, what do you mean "we don't need you anymore"?! You're our daughter, and we love you!" He said, and Avexis eyes flashed with a mix of happiness and regret.

Just before the ogre could attack them, Cassandra had run over, climbed partway up a tree and ricochet herself off of it to jump on the ogre's back and stab it in the shoulder. The ogre roared in a mix of pain and anger and reached behind him, grabbed her around the waist, and tossed her like a ragdoll, and she almost fell off the side of the mountain, but managed to grab hold of a root that was firmly dug into the ground; she was dangling off the side, though.

"Cassandra!" Galyan cried and ran over, grabbing her arms and pulling her up. He held her in his arms as the ogre stomped over and roared, raising its fist to squash them when another loud roar came out of nowhere and a small dragon came bursting through the trees and pushed the ogre right over the edge of the cliff before just going back the way it came. "Thank you, Avexis!" Galyan said to her and looked down at Cassandra. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "I'm alright." She got up and walked over to Avexis. "You had us both worried sick about you, you know? Why did you run away?"

Avexis bowed her head sadly, "I just got… jealous, I guess. I mean, when I saw you two with Anthony, I just thought that you two never used to give me that kind of attention. Then, I started thinking that you two didn't need me anymore… that you didn't love me anymore."

"Avexis…" Cassandra kneeled in front of her. "Of course we love you! It's just that, Anthony is a baby, he needs more attention than you do, or ever did, but he's not replacing you." She lifted Avexis's head up to look at her, "No one could _ever_ replace the spot for you in our hearts."

Avexis's eyes swelled with tears and she hugged Cassandra. "I'm sorry, mama! I shouldn't have been so jealous and started thinking that way!"

"I'm sorry, too, Avexis." Cassandra said as she hugged her back. "I should've been more sensitive to your feelings."

"So, you two forgive me?"

"Of course we forgive you!" Galyan said. "Just as long as you promise to never run off on us again!"

"I promise!"

"Good! Let's head back to Skyhold, then, shall we?" He asked, and they both nodded.

When they made it back to Skyhold, they met up with all their friends in the tavern. "Hey! The two lovebirds are back!" Bull said.

"And I see you two found Avexis!" Snow added.

"Yes. Where's Anthony?"

"He's taking a nap upstairs."

"Okay, and thank you again for watching him."

"Nah, it was nothing!"

"So, why don't you three join us all for a drink?" Bull suggested, "After all, we haven't gotten a chance to formally congratulate you two on your engagement!"

"Sounds like fun!" Galyan said, and they found places to sit down and had a couple drinks handed to them.

"Alright! Here's to Regalyan D'Marcall and Cassandra Pentaghast!" Snow cheered, lifting up her mug, and everyone clanked their mugs together and drank.

After about an hour, Cassandra started to feel dizzy, and she shook her head and rubbed her temple. "Are you okay?" Galyan asked, concern lacing his voice.

"I…I don't know." She replied, feeling nauseous all of a sudden, too.

"Cassandra?" He asked, and her eyes suddenly turned a milky white and she collapsed. "Cassandra!" He picked her up in his arms and started shaking her gently. "Cassandra, come on! Wake up!"

"What happened?!" Avexis cried.

"I don't know!"

"Is she alright?!" Snow asked.

"I don't know!" He cried again. "I don't know what happened, or what's wrong with her!"

"I do…" Amanda suddenly said as she walked over.

"You do?! Then, what is it?!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with my mama?!" Avexis begged.

Amanda kneeled down and opened Cassandra's eyelid to see if her suspicions were correct, which they were. "She has the Blight."

"What?! How is that possible?!"

"In the mountains, she fought an ogre, remember?" Avexis said.

"Yes, but she's fought darkspawn before and never gotten sick!"

"It doesn't happen every time!" Luna said. "If it did, I'd have died a long time ago!"

"What do we do?!" Galyan asked, clearly panicking.

"What _can_ you do?" Varric asked with a shrug, but sounded genuinely sad. "There's no cure for the Blight…"

"Actually… there might be." Amanda said.

"What?! Where?!"

"Here." Amanda got up and went to her pack, and rummaged through it a bit before pulling out a vial of purple colored liquid, and showing it to them.

"Well then, give it to her!"

"I can't! I mean, I don't even know if this will work; it hasn't been properly tested yet!"

"Then test it on her!"

"It could kill her even faster! Like I said, I don't know!"

"Please!" Galyan pleaded with tears running down his face. "Please, you have to try! I love Cassandra, I can't live without her!"

"Well…" Amanda said, her blue eyes shifting around the room as she thought before looking back at him and saying, "Alright." She opened the vial and set it down before taking out a dagger.

"What do you need that for?" Alastair asked.

"The last piece of the formula calls for the blood of a tainted creature, and since there are no darkspawn here, the blood of a Grey Warden will have to suffice." She held the dagger to her hand and sliced it open, dripping a few drops of blood into the vial, and to everyone's surprise, the blood caused the potion to turn from purple to white. She then grabbed the vial with her uninjured hand and handed it to Galyan, who then quickly opened Cassandra's mouth and poured a bit of the potion down her throat. Cassandra had been breathing shallowly the whole time, but as soon as she swallowed the concoction, her breathing ceased.

Galyan's expression turned to one of pure horror. "Cassandra!" More tears fell down his face and he sobbed, holding her close. "No, no, no, no…" He muttered.

"I'm so sorry." Amanda apologized.

"It's not your fault, Amanda." Alastair comforted and pulled her into an embrace.

"Mama!" Avexis sobbed and clung to Galyan as they both cried. Galyan put Cassandra's lifeless body down gently and hugged Avexis back, trying to comfort her. "I can't believe my little brother is going to grow up without a mama! How is that fair?!"

"It's not, but there's nothing we can do now…" He sobbed again.

Everyone in the room was now looking mournful at what had just happened. A happy occasion had suddenly turned into a funeral, and Snow buried her face into Cullen's neck as she cried, and he comforted her.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a chocking cough was heard, and everyone immediately looked back at Cassandra as rolled over, pulled herself up a bit with her arms and vomited blood all over the place.

"Cassandra?!"

"Urgh!" Cassandra groaned, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "The blood in my mouth tastes like bile!" She wiped her mouth and looked up, her eyes were back to their normal brown color, and she looked quizzically at everyone. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"We thought you were dead!" Snow said.

"Huh? Why would you think that?"

"Because you were completely motionless and you stopped breathing!"

Amanda suddenly kneeled next to her again and gave her a look over. "I can't believe it…" She breathed, "The taint in you is gone!"

"The taint? Wait, I had the taint in me?!"

"Yes, from fighting that ogre!" Galyan said and pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, Cassandra! You have no idea how happy I am that you're alive!"

"Do you know what this means, Amanda?!" Alastair said, excitedly, with a huge smile on his face.

"That she's going to be alright?"

"Well, there's that, but what I'm trying to say is that you discovered the cure for the Blight! This is huge!"

"It is!" Luna chimed in. "For hundreds of years, people have been trying to discover a cure, and you finally found one!"

Amanda chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I tried my best."

"And you did it!" Alastair said as he picked her up and twirled her around. "You're amazing and I love you so much!"

Amanda kissed Alastair and replied, "I love you, too!"

"Thank you!" Galyan said, still holding onto Cassandra as if she was about to slip away again. "Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me!"

"Galyan… I can't breathe." Cassandra said, and he quickly pulled away.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Cassandra chuckled. "You don't need to apologize, just take it easy." She hugged him again, and he returned the gesture as Avexis joined the hug as well.

Everyone started cheering and started celebrating anew, for it was now happy occasion once again.

A couple months passed, and on a warm (well, as warm as it can get up in the mountains) day, Cassandra was in the main hall with Snow and Avexis, getting dressed in her dress for the wedding while the doors were closed. Her dress was a plain white, strapless one that hugged her upper body and loosened up at her hips.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Avexis said and ran over, grabbing something off the table, and ran back holding a flowered headband. "I made this for you, for yours and papa's special day!"

"Thank you, Avexis!" Cassandra said and let her put it on.

"You're welcome! You look beautiful, mama!"

"You do!" Snow agreed.

"Well, you two better burn the picture into your mind now, because after today, you will never see me in a dress again!" She joked, and they all laughed.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the big doors, and Snow called, "Who is it?"

"It's me." Cullen said.

"Come on in."

Cullen pushed the door open and stood there. "I just came to let you know that there are a lot of people here, and their all waiting."

"I know, I know. We'll be there shortly."

"Isn't that what you said five minutes ago?"

"Curly, have you figured out what the hell is taking them so long?" Varric asked as he walked into the room. "Whoa! Nice dress, Seeker!" He smirked and tried not to laugh.

"Don't make me angry on my wedding day!" Cassandra growled with a glare.

"Okay, okay… bridezilla…" He said the nickname under his breath, but Snow still heard him and whacked over the head. "Ow!"

"Thank you!" Cassandra said.

"Anytime!"

Cullen sighed and grabbed Varric by the back of his dress shirt and pushed him out. "Anyway, people waiting, so tick-tock!"

"Yes, Mister-Time-Master!" Avexis said, her tone verging on sarcasm, as she saluted, and Cullen just groaned before leaving.

"You ready?" Snow asked them both.

Avexis nodded, and Cassandra said, "Ready to get married? Of course!"

"Good! Then, Avexis, since you're the flower girl, you'll go first, and then I will, and then Cassandra!"

"Got it!" Avexis said and walked to the door, grabbing her basket of flowers on the way out. She paused at the doorway briefly to take a deep breath before walking out and down the stairs to the courtyard where all the guests were and Galyan was waiting with Mother Giselle on the altar. She threw flowers down the stairs, down the aisle, and up to the altar before taking her place right below it; Snow had not been far behind her, and she took her placed up on the altar, behind the bride's place.

Then, Cassandra came out and everyone looked at her as she walked down the steps and down the aisle. When she got up to the altar, she took her place there, and Galyan leaned in, whispering in her ear, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." She whispered back, not being able to help the blush on her cheeks.

Mother Giselle smiled and started, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to celebrate the union of Regalyan D'Marcall and Cassandra Pentaghast in holy matrimony!" She continued, saying all the mandatory things to wed couples, before she finally got to the end. "Regalyan D'Marcall, do you take Cassandra Pentaghast to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, to cherish, and to care for, now and forever?"

"I do, now and forever."

"Cassandra Pentaghast, do you take Regalyan D'Marcall to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, to cherish, to care for, now and forever?"

"I do, now and forever."

"Then, in the name of the Maker and his bride, Andraste, I declare these two to be wed! You may now kiss your bride!"

Galyan and Cassandra looked at each other before leaning in and kissing gently, and everyone clapped and cheered. After the ceremony, everyone watched as the couple had the first dance, and they all chatted amongst themselves for the rest of the time, but, of course, gave their congratulations to the happy couple.

After the reception, Galyan and Cassandra had a carriage waiting for them outside Skyhold to take them to Val Royeaux for their honeymoon, and everyone waved as they left.

"So," Galyan said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "How does it feel to be Mrs. Cassandra D'Marcall?"

Cassandra smiled and kissed his cheek. "I've never been happier!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head against his chest. "And when we get back, how about we start planning on choosing a permanent place to live with Avexis and Anthony? Being settled down and raising our family, just like you've always wanted?"

"I would love that, to spend the rest of my life with you and our children!" He kissed her gently. "I love you more than anything, Cassandra, and I thank the Maker every day that we're together!"

"I love you, too, Galyan!" She said, and they kissed again, both of them completely ready and happy to start their new lives together.

––

Hey everyone! Well, this is it, the last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this story, and thank you so much for reading! I put a lot of time, effort, and love into this one! I have to say, at the part when Cassandra died, I actually started making myself cry, so I've also put tears into this one!

Nice reviews make me happy!

See you next time!


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